


The setting sun above it all, I just wanna be somebody to you

by Fox (Spacefoxen)



Series: You and Me are a We [2]
Category: Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Cuddling, Emotions, Fluff, Holding Hands, Humming, Introspection, M/M, Other, POV Venom Symbiote (Marvel), Pancakes, Pre-Relationship, Singing, The Author Regrets Nothing, again because apparently that's their Thing, contemplation of futures and relationships, listen this is all just soft self indulgence, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-13
Updated: 2018-11-13
Packaged: 2019-08-23 02:53:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16610510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spacefoxen/pseuds/Fox
Summary: A quiet introspective morning shared between two sappy losers.ORVenom patiently helps Eddie through his depressive episode and is pleasantly surprised by strong positive emotions and the newfound knowledge that their relationship and future together might involve more than they ever thought possible.





	The setting sun above it all, I just wanna be somebody to you

**Author's Note:**

> Guys, I've been utterly blown away by how well my first Symbrock fic was received. I've never, _ever_ had such an overwhelming response to anything I've ever created. Many of your comments left me in tears. All of your comments and kudos and bookmarks have made me feel ready to burst from too many emotions. I can't thank you guys enough. I haven't had time to respond to all of your comments, but know I have read (and reread) all of them and appreciate each and every one. 
> 
> This sequel fic is a direct result of all of your comments. I would not have had the inspiration to write it otherwise. I wanted to explore Eddie's recovery a bit, to show that it is possible to experience and embrace happiness and joy, even during the darkest times. That it is possible to feel again, and to feel better. 
> 
> And apparently the boys want me to write _another_ fic in this series, even though I have two others in the planning stages. Oh well.
> 
> Much thanks to Carter and BizLiz on Discord for the beta read and to Solstice for the cheer read. You guys all rock!
> 
> Title from the song _Be Somebody_ by Thousand Foot Trench. It's also the song Eddie is humming later in the fic. You can listen to my ridiculously long Symbrock playlist [here](https://open.spotify.com/user/physicsgirl13/playlist/2peQn80waB0qj9uakVtAod?si=w1bVQfxsT1qTJeHSAZwQhg). I have more or less had this beast on repeat for weeks now.

**Up, Eddie!**

A muffled groan rises up from the heap of blankets, but nothing more. Venom taps the blanket pile, thinking.

**We'll pull off all your blankets if you don't get up!**

More groaning. Venom huffs.

**Fine. We'll eat the neighbor's cat if you don't get up, Eddie. We're hungry.**

The blankets shift. “Don't eat the cat, V,” comes the groggy response. “I'm moving. Just. Gimme a sec.”

**Don't go back to sleep. We'll definitely eat the cat if you do. And maybe the owner, too.**

The top of Eddie's dark blonde head pokes out of the blanket, hair sticking out wildly. He turns over onto his back, looking for Venom. 

“You wouldn't.”

**Would.**

A wave of fondness, exasperation, and humor flows through their bond, accompanying the ever present fog of exhaustion. Eddie huffs and sits up in bed, blankets pooling around his waist. 

“Fine, I'm up. Happy?”

Venom give him a large, toothy, grin and Eddie smiles back. 

It had been a few weeks since the first frightening day that Eddie refused to get out if bed and Venom felt the gaping emptiness of his depression. Since then, they had worked out a bit of a routine. In the mornings, Venom took over the role of alarm clock-- the actual alarm was far too easy to sleep through or turn off. They made sure to get Eddie up at a decent hour anyway they could, whether it was by teasing, threats, or bodily pushing him out of bed. 

They did not take control of Eddie's body and make him do it. They tried that once, early on. Eddie had had a panic attack then refused to talk to Venom for the rest of the day; his depression had gotten worse. At the sensation of the pit in Eddie's chest yawning wider that night, thoughts of  _ what's the point just a meat suit have no say don't even have a choice  _ running rapid fire through his head, Venom vowed they'd never do something like that again without asking first. 

There had been a lot of apologies that night in the cover of darkness; Venom was used to living as part of a hive mind and total autonomy was a foreign idea for them. Eddie explained what it meant for humans and why it was so important. They ended up setting boundaries that night: Venom was to never take complete control without explicit permission of if they were imminent danger. The same was true for rummaging through memories or reading thoughts. Privacy was important to Eddie and while the nature of their relationship made complete privacy impossible, Venom was determined to respect the few boundaries their host requested bet set. It was the least they could do.

After getting up, the two would get food. This was always difficult, as Eddie hadn’t had much of an appetite but required enough nutrients to satisfy two metabolisms. After food came basic hygiene, dressing in clean clothes, and starting the day. 

It frustrates Venom, not being able to help their host the way they would like to. However, they realize that this is something Eddie needs to work through on his own and that any direct interference, other than support, would not be appreciated. When Venom first brought up the possibility of being able to simply create the hormones for Eddie, Eddie had given off a wave of guilt and unease. He explained to Venom that having them simply produce the chemicals for him felt a lot like cheating, that it didn’t feel right letting Venom ‘fix’ his depression when no one else had such an opportunity. 

Venom hadn’t gotten it, still doesn’t get it, but they had worked out a compromise. With Eddie’s permission, Venom has taken to paying attention to which hormones are affected by Eddie’s medications and how they are affected; they didn’t want to mess with the wrong hormones or influence them too strongly and hurt Eddie. Instead of producing the hormones directly like they originally wanted to, they assist their production in much the same way they'd seen Eddie water plants and encouraged them to grow. It’s slow going, and there are definitely bad days amongst the good, but Venom is content helping their human get back on his feet.

Eddie yawns and stretches his arms up over his head, his spine popping in a few locations. He sighs in contentment, leisurely running his hands through his hair. 

Venom purrs lightly, reveling in the soft emotions coming off of Eddie. There’s the drowsy light blue of waking up, the yellow-gold warmth of happiness, and pink affection. There is also the purple bruise Venom has learned is like sadness, but deeper; it’s what remains of the empty pit of depression and it hangs around the edges of all of Eddie’s other emotions. Some days it’s dark and wild, like a storm cloud. Other days, like today, it bleeds and swirls softly like ink in water. Today was a good day.

“You’re quiet.”

Eddie’s soft voice startles Venom out of their contemplative state. They blink at Eddie before swarming up and wrapping around Eddie’s torso and neck. Eddie chuckles. 

**Thinking.**

“Yeah?” Eddie passes his hands idly over Venom’s form. Venom can feel his unasked question and they let out a rumbling purr.

**Yes. Your emotions are quite beautiful this morning.**

Eddie’s skin heats up with a blush and Venom’s purr deepens with the added swirls of bashfulness and surprise. They like invoking emotions in Eddie. 

“Thank you?” Eddie fiddles with one of the bracelets wrapped around his wrist.

Venom nudges at the side of Eddie’s head in affection before darting through his skin and spreading out through his chest.  **Food, Eddie,** they say with a burst of their own fondness.

“Yeah, okay,” Eddie says, stretching again before dragging himself off the bed and making his way to the kitchen. “What’s on the menu this morning?” 

**Hmm. Pancakes. Eggs. Potatoes.**

“Pancakes again?” Eddie asks, already pulling out the box of batter mix and chocolate chips. “Fine, but I’m making proper breakfast potatoes, not tater tots.”

Venom manifests outside at Eddie’s shoulder just to narrow their eyes at him.  **Fine.** Eddie chuckles.  **We help?** they ask, head cocked to the side.

Eddie shrugs. “Sure, why not.” He shuffles around in the pantry for a few potatoes before he grabs a knife from the magnetic strip on the wall. “You’ve watched me cut food before, right?”

**Yes, Eddie.**

“Good. You cut the potatoes into small squares and I’ll get the pancakes ready to go.”

Venom wraps a tendril around the handle of the knife Eddie offers to them. They hold it carefully and move towards the counter where Eddie has placed the potatoes. They begin dicing the tubers, a happy trill running through them. They’re still connected to Eddie, various tendrils wrapped around his waist and over his shoulder, and he’s positively radiating contentment and happiness. Venom feels enveloped in warmth and light and wonders if it is possible to get high off of the emotions of their Other.

They’re vibrating with their own purrs when they feel a secondary vibration, this one coming from Eddie. Venom pauses in their chopping, head tilted sideways. It was as much a vibration as it was a sound and was low and soothing. 

Venom turns back to the potatoes.  **Eddie?**

“Hmm?” The vibrations stop.

**What was that?**

Eddie turns towards Venom and evaluates the diced potatoes piling up on the cutting board before picking them up and placing them in a frying pan.

“What was what, love?”

Venom blinks at the word, unsure of what to think of it. It’s a much better than being called parasite, that was for sure. Granted, Eddie had been using  _ that _ particular term of ‘endearment’ less and less lately; instead, he had been using words like ‘bud’ or ‘pal.’ This one does not  _ feel _ like any of those terms, however. They file it away to ponder later and focus on their question.

**The vibration-sound.**

Eddie’s eyebrows furrow for a second as he adds seasoning and oil to the potatoes. “The..? Oh!” He looks over his shoulder at Venom. “Humming. I was humming.”

Humming. Venom doesn’t think they’ve heard Eddie hum before. 

**Humming is...good?**

Eddie smiles. “Yeah, V, humming is good. Humans do it when they’re working on things or when they’re happy.”

Venom sets the knife down and adds the rest of the potatoes to Eddie’s pan, watching as they get stirred around and the oil starts popping.

**Do it again?**

Eddie strokes Venom, who leans into the touch. Eddie had been touching them a lot more lately. It’s nice.

“Yeah, sure.” He pauses for a moment and Venom senses him shuffling through his memories for something. Eddie then gives his head a slight nod before he starts humming again. 

Venom curls up around Eddie’s shoulders, watching him cook and listening to him hum. It’s a nice sound, soothing and deep. They can feel a whisper of vibration from his throat and it’s enthralling to Venom, so they twine themselves loosely around his neck to better feel the reverberations. They’re just realizing that there is a pattern to the pitch changes, much like in music, when Eddie starts singing softly. 

_ “ _ _ I never had nobody and no road home _

_ I wanna be somebody to someone.” _

Eddie taps his spatula on the side of the pan to the beat of the words; his body starts swaying and he bobs his head. Venom sits up a little on his shoulders, a bit mesmerized. New emotions flow through their bond and Venom is struggling to identify them: something bright yellow and blazing, something else that is softer and warm -- a peachy orange color that tingles and sparkes as it runs up their connection. They shiver and tighten around Eddie, who turns and grins at them, still singing.

Venom gently prods at Eddie’s memories, trying to make sense of the singing. Venom can’t remember Eddie singing before and looking at the memories that Eddie is allowing them to look through, they find that he hasn’t sung since before he and Anne had broken up. Venom can sense from the memories that for Eddie, singing is a sign of happiness. Of comfort and  _ love. _

Venom stares at Eddie with eyes wide. The warmth and brightness of these new emotions are in such contrast to those that have been present the last few weeks. When Eddie was unable to get out of bed most days and ate very little, his emotions were dark and jagged. Harsh. They were cold and unwelcoming and there were days where there was nothing there at all except for the yawning maw of the void in his chest. As the weeks went on, those emotions lightened up and mixed with new ones. 

Eddie isn’t fixed--there’s really nothing broken  _ to _ be fixed. He just needs help, which is something Venom is coming to love providing. And Eddie is doing better now. He’s learning to allow himself to feel positive emotions without fearing what comes after. This morning is proof of that. 

Venom trembles slightly and Eddie’s voice trails off, a question on his face.

“You’re feeling…” He pauses, searching for the right word while poking at their bond. “Giddy? You’re feeling giddy today.” 

Venom grins wide, their teeth flashing.  **You are happy, Eddie. This makes us happy, too.**

Eddie purses his lips in thought before giving a single, decisive nod. “Yeah, I guess I am happy.” He smiles. He’s been doing that a lot more, too. Venom wants him to keep smiling. “Want to grab the eggs, love? The potatoes are close to done.”

Venom feels a burst of pleasure at the second use of the endearment. They nod and stretch a tendril to grab a hold of the carton of eggs Eddie had placed on the counter. They then draw themselves closer to Eddie, tucking their head up by his jaw and spreading out across his shoulders and down his left arm. Unthinkingly they twine themselves around Eddie’s fingers. Venom has a second to process another burst of yellow and orange before Eddie wraps his fingers around the part of them that has twisted around his hands.

Venom catches a flash of memory -- Eddie and Anne walking down by the bay hand in hand -- and thinks,  _ Oh. _ Handholding. They adjust themselves in order to hold Eddie’s hand better, squeezing lightly, testing boundaries. Another warm, yellow glow blooms between them as Eddie squeezes back. 

Venom is aware of other memories seeping through the bond in flashes and glimpses: Eddie holding Anne’s hand gently in his as he draws it to his lips and kisses her knuckles; Anne entangling their fingers together, their hands palm to palm, pressing them against a wall on either side of Eddie’s head; Eddie and Anne sitting in a cafe, their hands resting on top of the table, their fingers casually overlapping. 

They hadn’t even realized something like  _ this, _ like what they’re seeing in Eddie’s memories -- memories that Eddie associates with happiness and holding hands and, apparently,  _ them  _ \-- was even possible between them. They hadn’t known it was something they could have, let alone want, but now that the idea was there, they couldn’t help but hope.

They pulse with happiness and their new, budding desire for something  _ more _ . Eddie smiles at him once again before turning back to the pan of eggs, humming under his breath once more. 

Venom isn’t sure where their future with Eddie is going, only that it’s nothing like what they had ever imagined it could be. The knowledge that there would be a future for the two of them, together, was enough for now. 

Yeah, today was definitely a good day.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks again for all of your love and support. This fandom has been really moving and I'm so glad to be a part of it. Once again, kudos and comments bring me life and inspiration! <3
> 
> It's after 1am now and my vision is blurry, so if you see any mistakes or something that doesn't make sense, please let me know!
> 
> You're all amazing and remember, _it does get better_. I promise.


End file.
